Scottish skipper to tell full story of surviving horrific pirate attack on high seas
HE was captured by Nigerian pirates, held at gunpoint in a squalid jungle camp, and told by one of his captors that he’d be burned alive unless a £750,000 ransom was paid.
Now Scottish skipper Joe Westland, a 66-year-old grandfather, has revealed every detail of his traumatic ordeal in a new book to be published next month. Westland, from Arbroath, first went to sea as a 15-year-old in 1965, working on fishing boats before he began a career in the merchant navy.
He knew the waters off the east coast of Africa well, having sailed a supply vessel there for just over a decade. Westland was well aware of the threat of pirates. In May 2013, the crane on his ship broke down and he was forced to put down anchor close to the Nigerian coast. That’s when pirates took their chance and dramatically boarded the boat, breaking the windows on the bridge to bypass steel doors.
Westland said: “The only way in was through the bridge windows. They smashed every one. All the lights went out. I locked my door and hid myself in the toilet. They smashed the doors in with a sledgehammer and I was dragged out.
“I was the only ex-pat on board so they took me. I was in a state of shock. I was lying in water at the bottom of their boat. One of them hit me with a gun. He told me not to move.”
Alone and afraid for his life, Westland was taken to shore and moved to a ramshackle hut in a remote jungle clearing.
He said: “I was lying on wood, there was no bedding. I was given no food. There were two guards with me at all times. I got malaria. I had bad diarrhoea. These two guys would take me into a crocodile-infested bog to go to the toilet. It was terrifying. I wouldn’t put my worst enemy through that.”
Westland’s captors took all of his possessions, including his wedding ring and mobile phones. It was then they started demanding a ransom.
“They asked for my wife’s number but I wouldn’t give it to them,” he said. “The only person I wanted them to talk to was my line manager because he’d been in Nigeria longer than me. Every time they called him it was done with my phone. They actually had it hanging from a tree to get network. I was only allowed to talk when they told me to talk. I was only allowed to say what they told me to say.
“They threatened to set me on fire. The boy that said it couldn’t have been older than 14. I always thought being burned alive would be the worst death ever, and to have someone tell you they’re going to do it to you was devastating.
“I was going to grab a gun and turn it on myself, but I wouldn’t know what to do with a gun. I was going to grab a machete.”
He whispered: “It was terrible. How people can do that to other human beings I just don’t know.”
It was in his darkest moment that Westland decided to fake a heart attack, which ultimately forced the hand of his captors and ended the horse trading with his company.
HE started rolling on the ground, eyes swivelling, tongue lolling, shaking violently. Fearing they were about to lose their bargaining chip, the pirates settled for just £56,000 and handed Westland over five days after he was taken.
“They got a scare,” said Westland. “I really put it on. One of the guys put his hand on my chest and said we need to get him out of here – he’s not going to survive. When they did the money transfer I still thought I would be killed. They had no reason to set me free. Life means nothing to these pirates.”
Westland has never returned to sea and still suffers from flashbacks. “I was seeing counsellors and they told me there was a 99 per cent chance I’d have a nervous breakdown if I did [go back].”
He was advised that writing a book could be cathartic and bring closure. “I think it has helped me because I’m able to talk about it now – but I still can’t live with it. It just destroyed me. The main reason I wrote the book was to warn others about the dangers. If it serves as a warning to others it will have done some good.” A Captain’s Ransom, published by British Book Guild, is out on May 28.